Edward Snowden criticises Solana over centralisation
Edward Snowden’s recent criticism of Solana (CRYPTO:SOL), calling out the blockchain network for its perceived centralisation, has sparked a fresh debate within the crypto community.
Speaking at the Token 2049 conference in Singapore, Snowden remarked that Solana has gained traction by centralising its operations, potentially sacrificing security and decentralisation.
He added that if states took action against the network, “anything significant” built on it could be easily disrupted.
In response, Mert Mumtaz, co-founder and CEO of Helius Labs and a strong Solana advocate, challenged Snowden's claims.
Mumtaz questioned the lack of evidence supporting Snowden's arguments and invited anyone to present data that could show how Solana’s decentralisation could be undermined.
He wrote on X, “Show me, with real data, how you will subdue thousands of full nodes over different jurisdictions, countries, and governments in the world.”
Mumtaz conceded that Bitcoin and Ethereum are more decentralised than Solana, but he emphasised that achieving enough influence to disrupt Solana’s blockchain would be “insurmountable,” referencing the network’s $69 billion market capitalisation.
Other developers, such as Cardano’s Dave, flagged potential weaknesses in Solana’s consensus mechanism, suggesting dishonest entities could halt the network.
This debate reignited long-standing criticisms related to Solana’s ties to the now-defunct FTX exchange and its founder, Sam Bankman-Fried, who was an outspoken supporter of Solana.
Despite these challenges, Solana’s developer community remains committed to improving the network's decentralisation, with the anticipated launch of Firedancer, a new validator client designed to address some of the network's historical issues.
At press time, the Solana price was $142.08.
Disclaimer: The content of this article solely reflects the author's opinion and does not represent the platform in any capacity. This article is not intended to serve as a reference for making investment decisions.
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